PGA Tour pro sparks war among golf fans with claim about amateur players
PGA Tour pro Ben An questioned why amateurs with a high handicap don't take more than one golf ball to the tee box.
PGA Tour member Ben An probably should have anticipated the response he got when he asked what he viewed was an important question about amateur players with a high handicap.
An, who was part of the 2024 International Presidents Cup team, said he wasn't trying to offend anyone with his post on X, but he was genuinely curious.
He wrote on Wednesday afternoon: "As I'm playing few holes and watching the group in front, why do high handicappers not bring at least two balls to the tee?
"I see them walking back to the cart to bring the ball again."
Naturally, his post was leapt upon by a number of users who were likely frothing at the mouth as they typed.
Some suggested it's simply bad luck to bring two golf balls to the tee box.
Who wants those negative vibes?
Others understood where he was coming from, given he was clearly just thinking about pace of play.
Related:
See some reaction here:
"The better question is if you are a high handicapper why are you playing three from the tee in the first place? Just go to whatever hazard you hit it in and take a drop to keep things moving forward. No one really cares if you shot a 101 or 109."
"How do you know they're high handicap and not just drunk or took a bad shot?"
"It's a mental thing Benny. If we bring an extra ball, then we are assuring ourselves we will need it."
"You can't put that bad mojo in your head. You may as well toss that first ball in the water and play the second one."
"You're implying that we often hit it OB off the tee, sir. We NEVER do that. Nope. Never."
"It's bad luck."
"If there's someone behind me, I smack the ball 45 yards into the woods then just drive up and drop about where it went in."
"That's not positive reinforcement! But ready golf is a real thing! I'm not looking in the woods for five minutes!"
A while later, An then signed off:
Who is Ben An?
An turned professional in 2011 after a highly successful amateur career.
Although he is yet to win on the PGA Tour, he has had multiple top-10 finishes.
His breakthrough win in professional golf came when he won the BMW PGA Championship, on the European Tour, back in 2015.
His best finish at a major came when he finished tied for sixth at the 2017 Open Championship.
An has also been a regular participant in the Presidents Cup, representing the International Team.
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Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
